Burning Heart
by TheRabbitGhoul
Summary: Short fic that strays off the storyline during Volume 1 Episode 15. The truth about Blake being a faunus has come out to Weiss and Ruby but where is Yang?


Blake freezes. Had she really just let her secret slip so easily from her lips? Weiss had gotten under her skin during the heated argument about their views on the White Fang and just like that the words that could bring Blake's new life crashing down escaped into the deafening silence of the dorm room. The white clad girl looks absolutely astonished and the same could be said for Ruby who had been keeping her distance during the fight. They definitely heard Blake confess that she was apart of the White Fang and therefor, is in fact, a faunus. In a flash, Blake races from the room, ignoring Ruby's pleadings for her to wait.

Her heart hammers in her chest as she runs and runs, a destination the last thing on her mind. _It's over. It's done. All that I've wanted to achieve here is ruined._ Blake has seen how some of the students had treated other faunus, such as Cardin Winchester. Or how other did nothing to help, just watching with silent pity in their eyes. Then there are those like Weiss who have legitimate reasons to dislike faunus even if she is putting all faunus on the same level of crazy as the White Fang. Nobody will accept Blake now that her secret is out in the open. Not even... Yang.

Would her own partner hate her for who she is? What she really is? No, Yang showed no resentment towards the faunus whatsoever. In fact she seemed to genuinely feel bad for the way they get treated around campus. But Blake doesn't want to feel like she's being protected which is exactly what Yang would do if a bully were to call her out for being a faunus. This whole situation is a mess.

When Blake finally stops running, she's at the foot of the giant monument that sits in Beacon's expansive courtyard. The brisk wind tousles her hair and the faunus girl fights to catch her breath. She glances up at the stone carving, her eyes falling solemnly on the grimm beneath the feet of the heroes. She immediately pictures herself in the position of the grimm with Weiss holding her rapier high above her head in triumph with Cardin standing proudly behind. The image sends a shiver up Blake's spine and she shakes her head, trying to rid it of the unwanted imaginings. With a shaky hand, Blake reaches for the little black bow she'd been adorning atop her head for months. Pulling the ribbon taunt, it slips from her dark locks smoothly, slowly revealing the two cat-like ears hidden beneath.

Should she run away? How far? Out of the Kingdom of Vale? Back to Menagerie after all these years? All these questions and more zip through the faunus' mind all at once. Blake absentmindedly pulls stray hairs away from where they'd gotten caught on the corner of her lip and looks down at the bow fluttering with the wind in her grasp. _Somebody, stop me from running. For once. Please._

The emotions hit Yang all of a sudden, the force nearly making her stumble as she makes her way back to the dorms. After going for a late night snack during the bicker fest that has been going on between Blake and Weiss, Yang needed a breather. Their anger had been starting to get to her and knowing full well what that could trigger, Yang got the hell out. However these feelings she's sensing now are those of pain, sadness and sorrow among other swirling negative emotions. The young woman briefly glances out into the courtyard in the general direction of the turmoils source but tears her gaze away and forcing her legs to continue on the path they had previously been on.

 _Don't do this. Please. Stop. My heart. It's burning._

The night continues on as if everything Blake is currently mulling over means nothing at all. To her, at this moment, it's everything. She doesn't want to lose what she has here by leaving but what if what she had is already gone. The more time that passes, the more Blake wishes she could just disappear. Perhaps the image in her head of her taking the place of the grimm wouldn't be such a bad thing. At least she wouldn't have to think anymore. She'd just be frozen.

Blake wipes away a stray tear but practically jumps out of her skin when there is the sound of footsteps coming this way from on the other side of the monument. Not having time to return her bow to cover her ears, she desperately looks around, searching for a way to avoid whomever is approaching. Without much time to think it over, Blake jumps up onto the monument block and angles herself in the shadows between the beowolf statue and the cave like rock that the heroes stand on top of. Blake's affinity for melding into shadows would make it next to impossible for a passerby to see her so as she stands perfectly still, why does she suddenly feel like there's a spot light pointing right at her hiding spot. As if anything she did to conceal her presence would be absolutely useless.

The footsteps continue their approach, each footfall heavier than the last. When the ground begins to rumble ever so slightly beneath Blake's feet, her ears perk up on full alert. _No human sounds like this. Has a grimm gotten past the schools defenses?_ The faunus reaches to her back for her weapon but curses in her mind when she remembers she left Gambol Shroud in her rocket locker and her scroll back in the dorm room. Before Blake can even begin to think of a way to get a signal to anybody, a large reptilian-like head peaks around the back of the monument, it's burning red gaze falling directly on Blake. The faunus, completely backed into a corner with no weapon, pulls in a single gasp and holds it in to enjoy her final breath fully before the massive grimm devours her whole.

The two stare at each other for what feels like a millennium to the terrified cat faunus. Blake fights the urge to scream when the grimm moves suddenly, not towards her however. Instead it's as if it's shifting it's body around, however massive and whatever that may look like. Blake can only imagine it really since all she can see is the head and the massive claws that now grasp the lip of the cave. The stare off continues. Blake has to keep reminding herself to breath as she desperately scourers her mind for a way out of this situation. Suddenly, the grimm shows off the length of it's neck as it's flaring nostrils are inches away from Blake. This time she does manage to make a sound but it's nothing more than a terrified squeak. Her back is pressed so hard against the back of the monument that an ache starts to form but at the moment, Blake couldn't care less. Her attention is on the grimm that is so obviously smelling her, it's hot breath ruffling her hair.

The faunus' eyes begin to water and she can't stop herself from blinking. There is a loud crashing sound as the heroes atop the monument hit to the ground, splitting into hundreds of pieces. Blake watches in shock as the grimm steps down from it's perch, coiled around the monument, and walks a few feet away before sitting down like a tamed dog. It watches her with it's reptilian head tilted sideways, almost playfully.

 _I suppose the both of us have a secret, eh Blake?_ The voice that is suddenly in the faunus' head has her jaw practically to the floor. She hesitantly steps out from behind the beowolf statue but doesn't step down off the monuments platform, still unsure if what she heard could be what it sounded like.

Now with the grimm in full view, Blake takes it in. It's body is thick, same with it's four legs, especially the more powerful looking rear ones. The grimms neck is longer than Blake is tall but not by much. Terrifying spikes protrude along the grimms spine only growing smaller where the back flows into a long and slowly swishing tail. It honestly looks like a dragon whcih Blake had read numerous tales that involved the mythical beasts. While Blake wants to take in more of this grimms appearance, her fear slightly giving a bit of room for curiosity, something somehow familiar catches her eye. She gasps and in a single instant, every negative emotion she feels and had been feeling is washed away. Blake closes the distance between her and the dragon grimm and without a second of hesitation places a cold hand on the glow that pulses on the grimms chest and just like that the grimm began to de-materialize as if Blake had dealt it a finishing blow.

The faunus girl panics for only a moment before the dark, misty pieces subside to reveal a certain smiling blonde, her hand holding the hand Blake had placed on the grimms chest. Blake looks at Yang with a completely dumbfounded expression which has the latter covering her mouth with her free hand to stifle giggles.

"Yang?" Blake exclaims, "You're a- a grimm?"

Clutching Blake's hand a little tighter, the brawler shrugs with a sly grin, "Sometimes." She then reaches up to caress the silky cat ears atop Blake's head, "But you're a faunus all the time."

Blake steps away, Yang no longer holding her hand or stroking her ears. Yang doesn't need her ability to sense negative emotions to feel Blake spiralling back into the dark depths that had turned Yang into her grimm form. The blonde winces at her obvious mistake. Calling Blake out on being a faunus, low move. Probably somebody else found out and that's why Blake was moping so hard earlier.

"Of course just because you have adorable ears doesn't change who you are as a person Blake. You're still you to me." At Yang's words, Blake's gaze rises to those of her partner, "If anything, I feel like me being able to turn into a grimm among other things would make you think of me a bit differently." Yang laughs nervously, rubbing the back of her neck through her long blonde locks.

"Of course not!" Blake practically yells, rushing forward and enveloping Yang in a tight hug.

Too stunned to respond, Yang slowly melts into her partners embrace. Her arms wrapping around the faunus girls waist, nose pressed into the hair at her neck.

"I have to say though," Blake continues in a whisper, "I wasn't expecting something like that. The questions I'll have for you later are... plenty."

Yang grins and Blake can feel the change of expression on her neck, causing her face to flush considerably.

"I'll let you ask one question, right here. But then I think we should get out of here. I kind of made a mess. Massive body's are so clumsy!"

Blake can't help but laugh pulling away from Yang slightly. Remaining in her arms but now able to look at her beautiful lilac eyes.

"What was it that I touched on your chest. I don't know why but I was drawn to it and it seemed so familiar."

"You touched my burning heart."


End file.
